7,042 research outputs found
Church tradition and psychological type preferences among Anglicans in England
A sample of 290 individuals attending Evangelical Anglican churches and Anglo-Catholic churches in central England completed the Keirsey Temperament Sorter, a measure of psychological type preferences. Overall, there were clear preferences for sensing over intuition, for feeling over thinking, and for judging over perceiving, which is consistent with the findings of two earlier studies profiling the psychological type of Anglican churchgoers. However, there was also a significantly higher proportion of intuitives among Anglo-Catholics than among Evangelical Anglicans, which is consistent with the greater emphasis in Anglo-Catholic churches on mystery, awe, and the centrality of sacraments in worship which may resonate with the intuitive predisposition. The implications of these findings are discussed for the benefits of breadth and diversity within Anglicanism
Constraining the Randall-Sundrum modulus in the light of recent PVLAS data
Recent PVLAS data put stringent constraints on the measurement of
birefringence and dichroism of electromagnetic waves travelling in a constant
and homogeneous magnetic field. There have been theoretical predictions in
favour of such phenomena when appropriate axion-electromagnetic coupling is
assumed. Origin of such a coupling can be traced in a low energy string action
from the requirement of quantum consistency. The resulting couplings in such
models are an artifact of the compactification of the extra dimensions present
inevitably in a string scenario. The moduli parameters which encode the compact
manifold therefore play a crucial role in determining the axion-photon
coupling. In this work we examine the possible bounds on the value of compact
modulus that emerge from the experimental limits on the coupling obtained from
the PVLAS data. In particular we focus into the Randall-Sundrum (RS) type of
warped geometry model whose modulus parameter is already restricted from the
requirement of the resolution of gauge hierarchy problem in connection with the
mass of the Higgs. We explore the bound on the modulus for a wide range of the
axion mass for both the birefringence and the dichroism data in PVLAS. We show
that the proposed value of the modulus in the RS scenario can only be
accommodated for axion mass \gsim 0.3 eV.Comment: 26 pages, 1 figure, LaTex; added references, typos corrected. Minor
changes in the text, a comment added in the Conclusio
Reverse compassion: value-in-use and value-in-context of healthcare services during crisis
Purpose
Using data from a continuous and ongoing cross-sectional web survey on hospitalisation service experiences in two Italian regions, the authors used multilevel and multivariate logistic regression models to identify factors related to users' demographics, emotional and informative support, technical and physical aspects of the provision, influencing satisfaction and willingness-to-recommend, before and during a crisis.
Design/methodology/approach
The value-in-use, defined in terms of a positive or negative value given by the experience with services, can be evaluated by users and influenced by the context of provision. The authors tested whether and how the value-in-use of services changed in a context of crisis. This study is applied to the healthcare sector during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) epidemic, by evaluating the impact of the pandemic on hospitalisation experience.
Findings
Overall, analyses of 8,712 questionnaires found a greater value after the pandemic spread. In a time of crisis, technical and informative aspects of care were found to be most valued by patients that may recognise the extraordinary professionalism of workers during the crisis.
Research limitations/implications
This study empirically suggests that context can affect the evaluation of value-in-use by patients during unprecedented circumstances, producing additional value-in-context.
Practical implications
These findings imply that during critical periods where there is less scope for expressions of gratitude and appreciation towards front-line workers, user-reported data can be used for motivating professionals and increase resilience. These results reiterate the need to continue collecting and reporting the service users' voices, including as activity within plans for managing challenging situations.
Social implications
The level of healthcare system distress, due to the COVID-19 epidemic, positively affects patients' propensity to recommend, which the authors suggest is driven by healthcare services' feelings of reverse compassion. These findings imply that during critical periods where there is less scope for expressions of gratitude and appreciation towards front-line workers, user-reported data can be used for motivating professionals and increase resilience, which can have positive social implications. These results reiterate the need to continue collecting and reporting the service users' voices, including as activity within plans for managing challenging situations.
Originality/value
Research based on the intersection of theoretical and empirical research regarding value-in-use, value-in-context and service quality measured through user experience is scarce, in particular in the healthcare sector. The authors' findings set the direction for future research on the influence of context on value creation and value creation's perception by users, on the concept of reverse compassion and on reverse compassion's impact on organisational well-being, particularly in times of crisis
VLT/ISAAC H-band spectroscopy of embedded massive YSOs
We have performed intermediate resolution (R = 5000), high signal-to-noise
H-band spectroscopy of a small, initial sample of three massive embedded young
stellar objects (YSOs), using VLT/ISAAC. The sample has been selected from
sources characterised in previous literature as being likely of OB spectral
type, to be unambiguously associated with bright (H < 14) single point sources
in the 2MASS database, and to have no optical counterparts. Of the targets
observed, one object shows a ~B3 spectrum, similar to a main sequence object of
the same spectral type. A second object exhibits weak HeI and H emission,
indicating an early-type source: we detect HeII absorption, which supports a
previous indirect derivation of the spectral type as mid-O. The third object
does not show absorption lines, so no spectral type can de derived. It does,
however, exhibit a rich spectrum of strong, broad emission lines and is likely
to be surrounded by dense circumstellar material and at a very early
evolutionary stage. Our results from this very small sample are in agreement
with those of Kaper et al. (2002), who also find spectra similar to optically
visible main sequence stars, together with emission line objects representing a
very early evolutionary phase, in their much larger sample of K-band spectra.Comment: 10 pages, 14 figures, A&A (accepted
Line profile variability in the spectra of Oef stars: II. HD192281, HD14442 and HD14434
We present the very first analysis of the spectroscopic variability of the
three rapidly rotating Oef stars HD192281 (O5(ef)), HD14442 (O5.5ef) and
HD14434 (O6.5(ef)). Radial velocities of the HeII lambda 4541 line reveal no
evidence of binarity on time scales of a few days, or from one year to the
next, for any of the targets. The HeII lambda 4686 double-peaked emission and,
to some extent, the Hbeta absorption line display significant profile
variability in the spectra of all three stars. Data gathered during different
observing runs spread over six years reveal a rather stable time scale for
HD192281 and HD14442, whereas the variability pattern changes significantly
from one year to the other. The case of HD14434 is less clear as no obvious
time scale emerges from our analysis. In a temptative way to interpret this
variability, stellar rotation remains a possible clock for HD192281 and
HD14442. However, currently available models addressing stellar rotation fail
to explain some crucial aspects of the observed variability behaviour, which
appear to be even more complex in the case of HD14434.Comment: 15 pages, 12 figures (8 postscript and 4 gif), accepted by A&
The relationship between [OIII]5007A equivalent width and obscuration in AGN
In this paper we study the relationship between the equivalent width (EW) of
the [OIII]5007A narrow emission line in AGN and the level of obscuration. To
this end, we combine the results of a systematic spectral analysis, both in the
optical and in the X-rays, on a statistically complete sample of ~170 X-ray
selected AGN from the XMM-Newton Bright Serendipitous Source sample (XBS). We
find that the observed large range of [OIII]5007A equivalent widths observed in
the sample (from a few A up to 500A) is well explained as a combination of an
intrinsic spread, probably due to the large range of covering factors of the
Narrow Line Region, and the effect of absorption. The intrinsic spread is
dominant for EW below 40-50A while absorption brings the values of EW up to
~100-150A, for moderate levels of absorption (AV~0.5-2 mag) or up to ~500A for
AV>2 mag. In this picture, the absorption has a significant impact on the
observed EW also in type~1 AGN. Using numerical simulations we find that this
model is able to reproduce the [OIII]5007A EW distribution observed in the XBS
sample and correctly predicts the shape of the EW distribution observed in the
optically selected sample of QSO taken from the SDSS survey.Comment: 7 pages, 5 figures. Accepted for publication in MNRA
Detecting the Influence of Best Management Practices on Vegetation Near Ephemeral Streams With Landsat Data
Various best management practices (BMPs) have been implemented on rangelands with the goals of controlling nonpoint sourcepollution, reducing the impact of livestock in ecologically important riparian areas, and improving grazing distribution.Providing off-stream water sources to livestock in pastures, cross-fencing, and rotational grazing are common rangeland BMPsthat have demonstrated success in drawing livestock grazing pressure away from streams. We evaluated the effects of rangelandBMP implementation with six commercial-scale pastures in the northern mixed-grass prairie. Four pastures received a BMPsuite consisting of off-stream water, cross-fencing, and deferred-rotation grazing, and two pastures did not receive BMPs. Wehypothesized that the BMPs increased the quantity of riparian vegetation cover relative to the conditions in these pasturesduring the pre-BMP period and to the two pastures that did not receive BMPs. We used a series of 30-m Landsat normalizeddifference vegetation index (NDVI) images to track the spatial and temporal changes (1984–2010,n¼24) in vegetation cover, towhich NDVI has been well correlated. Validation indicated that the remotely sensed signal from in-channel vegetation wasrepresentative of ground conditions. The BMP suite was associated with a 15% increase in the in-channel NDVI (0–30 m fromstream centerline) and 18% increase in the riparian NDVI (30–180 m from stream center line). Conversely, the in-channel andriparian NDVI of non-BMP pastures declined 30% and 18% over the study period. The majority of change occurred within 2 yrof BMP implementation. The patterns of in-channel NDVI among pastures suggested that BMP implementation likely alteredgrazing distribution by decreasing the preferential use of riparian and in-channel areas. We demonstrated that satellite imagerytime series are useful in retrospectively evaluating the efficacy of conservation practices, providing critical information to guideadaptive management and decision makers
Yes, The Government Should Tax Soft Drinks: Findings from a Citizens’ Jury in Australia
Taxation has been suggested as a possible preventive strategy to address the serious public health concern of childhood obesity. Understanding the public’s viewpoint on the potential role of taxation is vital to inform policy decisions if they are to be acceptable to the wider community. A Citizens’ Jury is a deliberative method for engaging the public in decision making and can assist in setting policy agendas. A Citizens’ Jury was conducted in Brisbane, Australia in May 2013 to answer the question: Is taxation on food and drinks an acceptable strategy to the public in order to reduce rates of childhood obesity? Citizens were randomly selected from the electoral roll and invited to participate. Thirteen members were purposively sampled from those expressing interest to broadly reflect the diversity of the Australian public. Over two days, participants were presented with evidence on the topic by experts, were able to question witnesses and deliberate on the evidence. The jurors unanimously supported taxation on sugar-sweetened drinks but generally did not support taxation on processed meats, snack foods and foods eaten/ purchased outside the home. They also supported taxation on snack foods on the condition that traffic light labelling was also introduced. Though they were not specifically asked to deliberate strategies outside of taxation, the jurors strongly recommended more nutritional information on all food packaging using the traffic light and teaspoon labelling systems for sugar, salt and fat content. The Citizens’ Jury suggests that the general public may support taxation on sugar-sweetened drinks to reduce rates of obesity in children. Regulatory reforms of taxation on sugar-sweetened drinks and improved labelling of nutritional information on product packaging were strongly supported by all members of the jury. These reforms should be considered by governments to prevent childhood obesity and the future burden on society from the consequences of obesity
Outgassing of icy bodies in the Solar System - II. Heat transport in dry, porous surface dust layers
In this work, we present a new model for the heat conductivity of porous dust
layers in vacuum, based on an existing solution of the heat transfer equation
of single spheres in contact. This model is capable of distinguishing between
two different types of dust layers: dust layers composed of single particles
(simple model) and dust layers consisting of individual aggregates (complex
model). Additionally, we describe laboratory experiments, which were used to
measure the heat conductivity of porous dust layers, in order to test the
model. We found that the model predictions are in an excellent agreement with
the experimental results, if we include radiative heat transport in the model.
This implies that radiation plays an important role for the heat transport in
porous materials. Furthermore, the influence of this new model on the Hertz
factor are demonstrated and the implications of this new model on the modeling
of cometary activity are discussed. Finally, the limitations of this new model
are critically reviewed.Comment: Submitted to Icaru
- …